Bertelsen & Garpestad and Metrostav Norge have won the contract to build Norway’s third longest tunnel.

The new Røldal tunnel on the E134 between Røldal and Seljestad in Vestland will be 12.5km long. It will replace the existing Røldal tunnel.

The contract, awarded by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA), has a value of NOK2.8bn (€243m) excluding VAT.

As well as the new tunnel, the design and build contract includes construction of 2.9km of new road and a 0.7km-long pedestrian and bicycle path.

NPRA development director Kjell Inge Davik said the Røldal tunnel would provide a safer and more efficient stretch of road in winter, which would strengthen the transport corridor between Austlandet and western Norway.

The contract will be signed at the end of March and construction work is scheduled to start in the summer. The road is due to open in 2031.